Games That Bind
by exitlude
Summary: While doing a little spring cleaning, Sokka drops in on Azula and attempts to change her mind about throwing away her ribbon collection.


**Author's Note:** This is for the 2010 Sokkla Summer challenge. This was moderately painful to write, since it's been AGES since I've written ANYTHING. So, please, bear with me if the story's rather awkward. My rusty fic-writing skills are just getting oiled. Constructive criticism would be appreciated

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing except the crack.

Azula never had much interest in ribbons. Even as a child, her hair was usually held together with painful pins and the burnished metal of the Fire Nation crown. Ribbons were for Ty Lee, who waved them around, tickling Zuzu's nose teasingly. They were for Mai and her long, long black hair. They were also for Zuko, to pull from Mai's tresses. But, they were never for Azula, which is why she wondered how she managed to obtain a drawer-full of ribbons. They were mostly red and gold, the Fire Nation colors, but there was the occasional green, blue, purple, black and—Azula shuddered—pink. She'd certainly make it a point to put these in the "to give to Ty Lee" pile.

"Spring cleaning?"

Azula nearly snapped her neck when she twisted around to confront the intruder. She was perfectly alone in her room, as she had instructed to the palace guards, and she didn't even hear the door open...

"Oh, it's you."

Pushing aside the heavy red curtains, Sokka stepped into the pool of sunlight.

"I didn't want to disturb you, so I just snuck through the window. Actually, I'm surprised you didn't hear me. What's keeping you so occupied?"

The princess remained still as Sokka moved towards her. She could see a thin sheen of sweat on his skin. Really, he could've just knocked out the guards outside her chamber instead of climbing the palace walls. Sokka picked up a fistful of the ribbons from the open dresser drawer.

"Ribbons?" He laughed and dropped them. "You must've been quite a sight wearing these."

"I never wore them," Azula said. "They'd look ridiculous on me."

Sokka grinned. "Never? Didn't you have sleepovers with Mai and Ty Lee, where you braided each other's hair?"

Azula just cocked her eyebrow at him.

He rummaged through the pile and deftly pulled out a luminous pink silk ribbon.

"Are you going to try that on?" Azula asked with a smirk.

Sokka returned the smug smile. "Yeah, on you."

Azula tensed, ready to pull the stupid ribbon out of his hand, but before she could make a move to get up from her seat, Sokka had placed a hand on her head. It was gentle, surprisingly, and Azula found herself relaxing when his hands ran down her hair, his fingers brushing the back of her neck.

"What exactly are you going to do?" She asked, her voice a tad breathless.

"Have a little fun."

Within seconds, Sokka placed the ribbon round Azula's eyes.

"Sokka!"

She tried to lift her arms, but Sokka had managed to constrain her wrists quite quickly with another.

"This is ridiculous. You know I could just turn my bindings into ashes," Azula muttered. "Or throw fire around the room until I hit you." She added with a growl.

"Like I said, this just a little fun, princess," Sokka whispered into her ear.

She attempted to retort, but that proved rather impossible since Sokka had now pressed his lips against hers. _So, this is what he wants?_ Sokka was taken aback when Azula kissed him back fiercely, but he didn't complain. He really was just expecting her to start shooting blue fire.

_Of course he didn't expect that_, Azula thought. _Or this_. She bit Sokka's lip. Hard. She tasted the iron tang of blood before he pulled back from her, cursing. Blood smeared Sokka's hand as he clamped it over his mouth. _Crazy bitch_. Then again, this was Azula and he had tied her up in her infantile ribbons and she definitely wasn't going to let him get away with that, Firebending or no Firebending.

Azula rose. "What's wrong, Sokka? Can't take a little bite?"

He carefully moved around the princess, tiptoeing several feet away from her.

"Don't think you can get away," Azula said. "I was trained blindfolded when I was eight. This is a piece of cake."

She started moving slowly around the room, pausing for any telltale sound from Sokka. A footstep, a gasp, his heartbeat...Then, she felt the lightest rhythm of feet softly running on the hardwood floor. He was coming at her. She sparked a small fire with her hands, burning the ribbon around her wrists. She turned around and made to untie her blindfold, but hands fell on her shoulders and sending her crashing onto her bed. She could feel Sokka sitting on top of her (probably with a huge grin on his face) and his hands pinning her arms firmly on the bed.

Sokka laughed. "Oh princess, you almost got me there."

Azula let out a disgusted sigh. "Could just take this stupid ribbon out of my eyes?"

"Well, if I do that, I'd have to let your arms go."

"Maybe that's the point."

Azula was surprised to find her eyes free and open, yet her arms still locked together. She blinked several times, regaining her focus and saw the stupid ribbon dangling from Sokka's teeth.

"Really?" She scoffed.

He flung aside the piece of silk and lowered his face inches away from Azula's.

"You really should make use of those ribbons more often," he murmured.

Azula tiled her head upwards, grazing his chin with her lips. "Oh, believe me, I will."

As she predicted, she felt his body relax and slacken. She took this opportunity to knee him in the stomach, which had him roll over to the side. Sokka, then, found himself in what was Azula's position a few seconds ago. She had gripped his wrists with one hand, restraining his arm and, much to Sokka's amusement, had the silk pink ribbon in her other hand.

"It's a good thing you dropped in. I'm definitely keeping these silly ribbons."

-fin-


End file.
